The saga/history/thoughts of two gay partners and their 4-footed child picking up stakes in the US and immigrating to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Martha Gets a Chance (Finally!) . . . .

We watched the Liberal's Leadership race last year with interest . . . One of the more impressive candidates was Martha Hall Findlay. It appears she pretty much "got the shaft" from the Liberal party, re: belinda stronach . . . .

Veteran Liberal MP and former trade minister Jim Peterson announced Thursday he will not seek re-election in his Toronto riding, paving the way for former Liberal leadership candidate Martha Hall Findlay to run.

The riding of Willowdale is considered safe as Peterson, first elected in 1980, has held it for all but four of the past 26 years. In the last election, he won the riding by 14,000 votes.

From 1997 to 2002, Peterson was a secretary of state for international financial institutions. A year later, then prime minister Paul Martin appointed him the international trade minister.

Hall Findlay is expected to be given the Liberal nomination for the riding. Hall Findlay, who finished last of eight candidates in the leadership convention in December, threw her support behind Stéphane Dion, the eventual winner.

In 2004, Hall Findlay ran in the Toronto area riding of Newmarket-Aurora, but lost to then-Tory Belinda Stronach. She later won that riding's Liberal nomination again but stepped aside after Stronach joined the Liberals in May of 2005.

Hall Findlay was one of three contenders in the Liberal leadership race who were not sitting MPs.

The other two have also announced their intentions to run for a federal seat.

On Wednesday, Bob Rae said he hopes to run in the riding of Toronto Centre after Liberal MP Bill Graham announced he would not seek re-election.

Meanwhile, Gerard Kennedy has announced his intention to seek the nomination in Toronto's Parkdale-High Park, currently held by the NDP's Peggy Nash.

Listening to her in the previous debates, the Libs could do a lot worse. She deserves a place at their policy table . . . .